right now. megyn: fox news alert, eyeing the next big presidential vote launched by a fiery, high-stakes debate. republican candidates are now hitting the campaign trail hard ahead of super tuesday, not to mention what's happening this tuesday. they are fighting to win more than a dozen critical states, and that's where we begin today's edition of "america live." welcome, everybody, i'm megyn kelly. the gop field powering into a crucial stretch of republican primaries and caucuses, and it could all come down to what happens in arizona and michigan. both states hold their primaries this tuesday. so far mitt romney and rick santorum are neck in neck in the polling, at least in michigan. the final four were back on the stage last night, so how'd they do? chris stirewalt is host of "power play" on foxnews.com live. it's not all going to come down to tuesday in michigan and

arizona, but that is a very important date in particular for romney and for sap tore rum. when -- santorum. we talked about that yesterday, chris. let's focus on santorum to begin with. it was a make or break evening for him and his front runner status according to most of the pundits last night. did he make it or break it? >> well, the pundits are usually wrong, that's one thing we can take to the bank. rick santorum didn't have a great night. he undercut his sort of core conservative message as he tried to explain away some votes that he had funding planned parenthood, other things that have been problematic for him, and especially when he talked about being a good team player, taking one for the team to vote for no child left behind, it was an uneven evening for him. for santorum michigan is everything. yeah, he didn't have a great night, but what it comes down to for rick santorum is can he pass his big test next tuesday and beat romney in his native michigan? megyn: he took some dings,

that's what happens when you become the front runner. were the dings the product of santorum not handling the attacks on him well, or were they the product of his votes, his behavior, his positions in the past that are just now having the light, you know, shined on them, shone on them because he's, you know, gotten to the front runner status in so many polls? >> well, you're right on both counts. it's a little bit of both of those. the hits were hard or especially from mitt romney, especially from congressman ron paul. they were going after him on these votes. remember, he's thousands of votes in his many, many years in washington. his problem, though, was this, that his core brands which is telling the republicans they don't need to come proo poise, he undercut his core brand when he explained why it was wise for him to compromise on issues including planned parenthood and no child left behind. so part of it was external, part was self-inflicted. megyn: what did mitt romney need

to do last night? >> survive and advance, didn't dazzle anybody, but he survived, and he advanced, and if he was smiling extra big, it's because the debates are most locally over for the year. megyn: good newt was back. did it make a difference? >> well, if santorum stumbles coming out of michigan, there newt gingrich will be to try to get some votes on super tuesday. didn't hurt himself or best for him, he looked like the e vung lahr, nice guy that the republicans liked for such a period in this nine month stretch. megyn: he's a cheerful guy, chris. >> he wanted you to know that. [laughter] megyn: thank you so much, my friend. what did voters think about the heated exchanges between santorum and romney? we put together one of our focus groups, and here's a sneak peek on candidate rick santorum. >> remember the days in the early parts of the debate where he was all the way on the stage going what about me? he got what he britished for,

and -- wished for x he wasn't ready for the heat. megyn: why? what about his answers? >> i don't think he was prepared to take on all of the scrutiny. megyn: well, later in our hour what kind of impact will arizona's debate that we saw last night have on this race? we'll show you the focus group with an inside look at what republican voters are really thinking. that's coming up right here. fox news alert now, air force one set to touch down in miami minutes from right now. that's where president obama will address the surge in gas prices which are already putting a strain on family budgets. the spike in prices, head-spinning. the nationwide average is $3.61 a gallon now jumping three cents per gallon overnight. nine cents in just a week. there appears to be no end in sight here and, thus, we shall here from the -- hear from the president on this issue in about an hour and a half. right now we hear from trace

gallagher from a chevron station in l.a.. >> reporter: pretty amazing, m.k.. in california can gas prices are typically higher, we have higher real estate taxes and higher gas price taxes here. i want to point out a couple things. this is in santa monica, so it's a busy area, but take a look at this. regular gallon of unleaded gas at $4.49. plus at 4.69, supreme all the way up to 4.79. across the country sticker shock is setting in, and we are on pace, megyn, to shatter records. take a look at the number bees. back in 2008 on this very day we were selling gas on the national average at $3.13 a gallon. in that july of 2008, we broke the all-time record for a national average for a gallon at $4.11. you just said it, gas right now today, national average $3.61 a

gallon, and according to aaa we are running 13% ahead of where we were back in 2008. so keep in mind if gas goes on that same level, we're looking at $4.66 a gallon by july. you know it's iran, the tensions there. but also we have the summer blending fuel season and, of course, a major, key factor in philadelphia they've already shut down two different refineries, so check gas there. that will be a major canary in the coal mine, philadelphia already running well above the national average. take a look at this in florida, by the way, selling gas for $5.89, $2.25 above the national average. not many takers there, megyn, and i should tell you not just driving, flying as well. airlines have raised their prices four times just this year alone. megyn: wow. and that, you know, much like the city you are in, trace s a driving city. i mean, that is where people use their cars, not like new york where we walk or take the

subway. that is a driving city. trace, thank you. >> reporter: okay. megyn: $5 a gallon of gasoline, wow. and this is an extreme weather alert for you now. massive winter storms leaving a trail of destruction across this country. on the west coast, heavy rains in washington state triggering floods and dangerous mud slides. some residents there evacuating their homes just before they were hit. in colorado high winds are being blamed for flipping a semi on a highway near boulder, the gusts also knocking out power to 45,000 customers. and as the severe weather marched east, it spawned suspected tornadoes in georgia. dozens of homes were damaged, and now the east coast is bracing for what's next here. meteorologist janice dean has an update live from the fox extreme weather center. >> reporter: hi, megyn. we just got reports that the tornado in rome, georgia, ef1. that's with winds up to 110 miles per hour, and we could see the same thing this afternoon and into the overnight. watch this system as it develops across the northwest, moves

across the ohio river valley and great lakes and then into the northeast. this is kind of an ongoing pattern. the severe threat extends across the ohio river valley and the mid south, including rome, georgia, that got hit hard with that ef1 tornado yesterday. large hail, damaging winds and, yes, the threat for tornadoes exists. watching the storm system exit the coast, it is a fast mover, but we're watching another system, an area that has been plagued by storm after storm after storm, and in the wake of the storm system we could see an additional 6-8 inches across portions of chicago, up through detroit and the new england area. megyn, one of the reasons why we're seeing severe weather, look at the temperature contrasts. 88 in san antonio, 60 in kansas city, and it's around the freezing mark across the northern plains, so the clash of those two air maases could give us the threat of severe weather. megyn: wow. janice, thank you. well, as the nuclear crisis

with iran heats up, reports today that iran is believed to be carrying out preparations to expand its nuclear activity deep underground to insulate it from any possible attack by israel. how is israel responding? we will be joined by former israeli ambassador to the united nations, dory gold. and the mystery deepens in the death of a producer for the reality tv show, "the amazing race." what we're now learning from the autopsy that's raising serious questions about the earlier story regarding how he died. and new and grave concerns about the situation in afghanistan as anti-american riots in that region continue to spin out of control. two american soldiers are now dead. could this be a terrible new turn for our forces there? we'll take a closer look.

megyn: fox news alert, u.s. soldiers killed in a wave of

violence in afghanistan. a surge of protests triggered by u.s. troops mistakenly burning copies of the islamic holy book, the koran. now u.s. officials saying a man shot and killed two u.s. service members. is in the start of a grave new turn for u.s. forces there? we'll have a live report from afghanistan with the latest at the top of the next hour. and now to the story dominating the national conversation in israel and around the world. a new report or saying that iran is believed to be expanding right now its uranium enrichment activity deep inside of a mountain bunker, working toward, quote, full installation. the expanding nuclear activity estimated to be buried beneath some 265 feet of rock and soil and said to be giving iran better protection against any israeli or other military strikes. joining me now to discuss it, ambassador dory gold, former israeli ambassador to the u.n.

and foreign policy adviser to prime minister benjamin netanyahu. ambassador gold also the author of "the rise of the nuclear iran." body, thank you very much for -- ambassador, thank you very much for being back on the program. your response to this news because it is our understanding that this was something israel very much feared, that iran was building this underground bunker and that than it would be more expansive and deeper than the international community would understand and thus render somewhat ineffective any preemptive strike by the israelis. >> well, i think the iranians are showing their cards. the old enrichment site, that has, that's buried underground, under about o 30 feet of rock and soil. this new site is roughly, as you said, 260 feet underground, it's in a mountain, and, of course, the iranians want to enrich uranium to the 20% level.

they say it's for medical isotopes. well f they need enriched uranium for medical isotopes, why do they have to bury it into a mountain 50 feet -- 250 feet deep? this looks like a preliminary move towards what's called nuclear breakout, when a country moves away from its obligations to the international atomic energy agency and tries to establish quickly a nuclear weapons capability by having weapons-grade uranium. megyn: as a practical matter, and i'm not asking you to give up any, you know, israeli military secrets, but as a practical matter based on what's been reported publicly, does israel have the capacity to take out such a facility, 265 feet below ground? >> again, maybe because of my training as a former ambassador, i don't like to speculate on what are called operational issues. so, you know, i really don't have a comment on that. megyn: don't want to speak to that. that's fine, sir. i understand that. i want to ask you about the

latest reports out of israel. twofold. number one, more and more officials are expressing their displeasure with the public statements by united states officials condemning or urging israel not to attack iran. that seems to be one theme that's merging, they want the american generals and so on to stop criticizing it. number two, you tell me whether there is a split coming now with the highest factions of the government about whether israel should be about to unleash a strike against iran. because we read reports that president perez is going to tell president obama he doesn't believe israel should do it and whether that gels with how netanyahu feels. >> first of all, israel, like the united states, says all options are on the table. but, you know, the whole issue of israel having to defend itself with force is an issue of last resort. we're hoping that these new, intensified sanctions that the united states and the european union have initiated might move

iran in a better direction, although we're, frankly, aware that sanctions take a long time. i mean, the sanctions have changed, apartheid, south africa took 12 years. twelve years from now iran's going to have long-range rockets that could hit new york. i don't think we want to wait 12 years, but we're going to give it a chance. and all that speculation going back and be forth in the press, let's focus on not having public statements by too many officials and focus on getting rapp to adhere to its -- iran to adhere to its obviously gaitions. megyn: is there a split? >> is there a -- megyn: a split? is there a division at the highest levels about how to handle -- >> well, you know, the story, you pointed out there is a front page headline in one of the big newspapers in israel this morning that the president has a different view than the israeli government. he has now denied that, and he's made clear just like israeli ministers, just like the united states says, all options are on the table, nothing's taken off.

but first and foremost, let's get the international committee -- community to use very firm pressure on iran. because iran is now in violation of some six u.n. security council resolutions as it continues to enrich uranium, as it refused to cooperate just this week with the international atomic energy agency. so unfortunately, you're going to have to ratchet up the sanctions to get iran to move. megyn: yeah. and there does remain a very big question about whether even that will produce meaningful results. ambassador gold, thank you so much, sir. >> my pleasure. megyn: well, the mystery surrounding the the death of a reality show prusiner africa. was it murder or an accidental death? you will not believe the details coming out that may support the latter theory. plus, an american daredevil filming his own plunge from a cliff. but the jump is not the incredible part. what's incredible is what happens after the stunt goes horribly wrong.

the stunning video coming up right here. and rick santorum finding out what it's like to be the front runner when he becomes the target in last night's big gop debate. the former pennsylvania senate trying to defend against the charge that he has not been a consistent conservative. our focus group weighs in if on that. >> you know, there are a lot of people who look at santorum, such as myself, who you don't have to win the far right of the base because there's a lot of us who are independents who will vote for republican this time because of the alternative.

megyn: shocking new details in the mysterious death of a reality tv show producer who was in africa. an autopsy revealing large quantities of cocaine in the stomach of "amazing race" producer, jeff rice.

that's raising questions about a possible drug smuggling operation gone wrong. trace gallagher has the details. >> "the amazing race" follows teams of two around the world as they vie for a million dollars in prizes. rice was apparently on, hanging on to his balcony at his hotel, and by the authorities got up there, he was dead. and his production assistant inside the hotel room was in critical condition. they first thought he choked on food, but they figured they couldn't both choke, so the autopsy showed a large amount of cocaine inside his stomach. sources told foxnews.com the pair was forced to ingest the cocaine, but ugandan police say there was no sign the pair was attacked at all. drug experts say if they took an overdose of cocaine, there would not be a large amount of it in

his stomach. it might be in the nasal packages and blood, but not in the stomach. jeff rice's wife gave this statement saying, quote: they were not attacked, but evidence points towards being poisoned. >> reporter: did they poison themselves in an operation, the the production assistant is expected to live, the authorities have not interviewed her yet about exactly what happened inside that hotel. megyn: that is truly bizarre. trace, thank you. >> reporter: okay. megyn: new questions about the conviction of a former college lacrosse player found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend. the jury rejecting a verdict that could have put him behind bars for life and be instead opting for a lesser charge. was this a win for the prosecution or for the defense? and how long is george huguely

likely to serve? that's in today's kelly's court. plus, new video of brave passengers snapping into action after a flight attendant is attacked 30,000 feet in the air. wait until you hear what the passengers did. and rick santorum center stage this last night's republican debate. how are voters reacting to one of the biggest tests of his candidacy? our focus group weighs in right after this break. >> romney has to govern. he has to make decisions as a governor every day. his constituents expect -- megyn: didn't santorum have to do that when he was a u.s. senator? >> no, because santorum never ran anything. he never ran a company, he never ran a state. that's the problem senators have when they run for national office. there's another way to help eliminate litter box dust:

purina tidy cats. our premium litters now work harder to help neutralize odors in multiple cat homes. purina tidy cats. keep your home smelling like home. eeeeeeeeeeeee! whee! whee! wheeeeeeeee!

ah heads up. wheeeeeeeeeeee! everything you love about geico, now mobile. download the new geico app today.

megyn: well, newly-minted front runner rick santorum the target night in this, his first debate since surging to the top of the polls. the former pennsylvania senator trying to defend against the charge by mitt romney and others that he has not been a consistent conservative. take a listen. >> the idea that somehow the earmarks during the time that i was in congress were this thing that drove up spending in washington, d.c., what happened is there was abuse. when abuse happened, i said we should stop the earmarking process. >> i would put a ban an earmarks, i think it opens the door to excessive spending, i think there are a lot of

projects that have been voted for, you voted for the bridge to nowhere. >> it would be, let's say, a difficult task for someone who had the model for obamacare which is the biggest issue in this race to be the nominee of our party. >> arlen specter the pro-choice senator of pennsylvania that you supported and endorsed in a race over pat toomey, he voted for obamacare. if you had not supported him, if we had said no to arlen specter, we would not have obamacare, so don't take a look at me. >> i supported no child left behind. it was the principle priority of president bush. to try to take on a failing education system, and i have to admit i voted for that. it was against the principles i believed in, but, you know, when you're part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team for the leader, and i made a mistake. um, you know, politics is a team sport, folks. and sometimes you've got to rally together and do something, and in this case, you know, i

thought testing and finding out how bad the problem was wasn't a bad idea. megyn: let's wring in our focus group -- bring in our focus group. these are all republican voters who are trying to decide who they will support in this contest. welcome back, everybody. all right, so the question in the papers today is whether santorum got it done. he's the new front runner, did he maintain the status, did he hurt himself, did he advance the ball? kyle harrington, let me start with you. >> look, last night was center stage for santorum. it looked like it was a romney/santorum debate, and i believe that, no, i don't think he got it done last night. megyn: why not? >> well, he was put on the spot with a lot of the things i think the american public became aware of that are not necessarily fiscally conservative. and i think he needs to stay on point with respect to the economy, jobs. megyn: that's where you want him to be, economy, jobs? >> i want him to be economy, jobs. megyn: do you agree? >> do you remember the days when

he was all about what about me, ask me a question? the he got what he wished for, and he wasn't ready for the heat. megyn: why not? why? what about his answers? >> i don't think he was prepared to take on all of this scrutiny about supporting arlen specter, all the great points mitt romney brought up. megyn: he said we were going to have three supreme court vacancies, and he was chairman of the -- >> and it got lost in the weeds because he was defending, defending, defending, going into details -- [inaudible conversations] >> he couldn't even get the words out. megyn: you're breaking up there. [laughter] >> mitt romney was great. a potential timber -- presidential timber, he was like an oak. [laughter] megyn: you have a little crush on -- >> well, look at the crew. fantastic four, he'd be the one to have the crush on. he is like central casting. he is the oak tree where rick santorum is the funny-looking rubber tree over there.

megyn: she's got the love affair going with him. >> that's like the charlie brown christmas tree. >> we did not show what ron paul's response was, and i thought he knocked it out of the park. megyn: he said -- explain why that is so objectionable, what santorum said to you? >> because i don't want someone to necessarily play politics. i think we've had enough of that, and what did ron paul say? ron paul said, well, i took an oath to an office, not an oath to a party. megyn: nice theory, but as a political matter, is it reality, tracy davis, or don't we see politicians making compromises all the time? >> i think that he got completely exposed, and it was a complete game changer for him because it made him seem so inside washington, making that deal with specter, for him to make the votes as the judge, and when he started backtracking and explaining things and no child left behind and when he was talking about, well, then i've put in another bill that would,

that would counter the one that i signed -- >> right. megyn: go ahead. >> he's a unite senator. he's a quintessential washington insider. and that's what separates him from mitt romney. mitt romney is a governor. he has to make decisions, he has to govern, and everything he does is for betterment of his residents. megyn: did mitt romney look presidential? >> yes. megyn: we have one clip teed up. there was a political write-up today that talked about how he seemed nasty at times and almost heady. just look at this one clip. >> yes, governor, you balanced a budget for four years. you have a constitutional requirement to balance the budget for four years. no great shakes. [applause] don't go around bragging about something you have to do. michael dukakis balanced the budget for ten years. does that make him qualified to be president of the united states? i don't think so. megyn: what was the body language and the clapping in the middle? i haven't seen him do that

before at a debate. >> he's appealing to the republican hard core base. and the more he does that, the more he alienates independent voters. megyn: romney? >> no, i'm talking about santorum. it's going to be very difficult for santorum to move back to the center, and that's the problem he has. he looks angry, he's coming off being angry all the time, feeding red meat to the base -- megyn: political write-up was saying that romney was the one who seemed snippy and nasty and at the end john king asked him what's the biggest misconception about him, and he said i get to give the answers i want. [inaudible conversations] >> he looked okay next to rick santorum. san roar tunnel's one of the most self-righteous, pious people on the planet and to have him be forced to anytime he votes against some bills, it made him look bad. >> romney did a great job last night exposing rick santorum for

a lot of the policies he put in place. megyn: do you think, david, that rick santorum will lose the front runner status? >> well, i think rick santorum and mitt romney really showed themselves to be very adestroyed and skillful politicians, but what we need is a statesman, much like a ronald reagan or a newt gingrich. and i would say that this gingrich juggernaut is just going to take the nation by storm at this point. megyn: you think so? does anybody here believe that newt did himself, you know, significant good last night? >> i do. megyn: you do? >> i think the way that he was calm, and it sort of got rid of that angry, weird image he had. and i think it sort of like a launching point because he's going to get a lot of money -- megyn: newt is definitely -- [inaudible conversations] megyn: do we all want to know sheldon is become good friends -- >> yes. [laughter] megyn: what'd you think? >> i think watching newt is like watching a bela lieu goes si

movie. you know his teeth are going to come out. [laughter] it's not. actually santorum was exposed last night more so for title x. i mean, you can't wear your religion on your sleeve and then justify voting for planned parenthood. megyn: he was questioned about, for the viewers who didn't see it, he said it was a huge bill, that it had all sorts of spending measures in it, i didn't want it, but then i pushed for title xx, so at least i did something. you didn't accept that? >> no. he compromised his morals. he's catholic, he professes to be catholic. abortion is an intrinsic evil. how can you compromise on something like that? megyn: so you're jumping on that bandwagon. but mitt romney has taken so much heat for reversing himself on the issue -- >> megyn, here's the thing. being a d.c. insider is toxic. you cannot have that. mitt romney is the only one now that is the d.c. outsider. megyn: okay, but that's a

different point. if you're going to go after santorum for compromising on principle, what about romney? >> megyn, because romney has to govern. he has to make decisions as governor every day. his constituents expect -- megyn: didn't santorum have to do that when he was a u.s. senator? >> no, because he never ran anything. he never was a ceo, he never ran a company, he never ran a state. that's the problem senators have when they run for national office. they have to make trade-offs all the time. >> the difference here, i think steve's point is that the compromise was one that is made by a d.c. insider, taking one for the team, i'm going to vote against something i don't believe in, that's not leadership. and i think the huge point, there's a wig difference when -- big difference when you're in the executive level. i think newt gingrich did well last night, but i think that is better for mitt romney. megyn: painting themself, consistency -- okay. i want to play -- [inaudible conversations] answers of the night and get your reaction to whether the

gentlemen were truthful here. finish. >> without caveats or explanations, please define yourself using one word and one word only. congressman paul? >> consistent. [cheers and applause] >> senator santorum? >> courage. [cheers and applause] >> governor? >> resolute. [applause] >> mr. speaker? >> cheerful. [laughter] megyn: that got a big laugh. tim white -- >> again, it all comes back to consistency. if we're looking for a litically pure candidate and somebody who's been consistent, we have to take a look at ron paul. we're starting to talk about him, but i think he need more consideration. megyn: he believes the biggest misconception about him is that he can't win. >> exactly. and there are a lot of people who look at santorum, such as myself, who you don't have to win the far right of the base

because there's a lot of us who are independents who will vote for a republican this time because of the alternative. and, you know, these other guys, these other three if ron paul does not get in, the other three have to win us over at this point. [inaudible conversations] megyn: raise your hand if you think mitt romney really is resolute. what -- do you really think that newt gingrich is cheerful? [laughter] do you think so? david selig, it depends on -- >> i would like to tell your viewing audience that, you know, we really have to win this election, and you have to look where the real support for either santorum or mitt romney is coming from. and it is not from this party. so let's -- >> wait a minute. [inaudible conversations] >> we do have to get the independents. we do have to have a larger tent, and we can't go as far right as santorum is. i think this is great because it's game changer, and i think

mitt romney's going to win arizona, dan -- megyn: all right. and i will let that be the last word. >> we need a bigger tent. megyn: i've gotta go. thank you so much, panel. pleasure as always. >> thanks. megyn: and we're taking your thoughts on it right now at kelly@foxnews.com. agree? the disagree? let us know your thoughts and on twitter as well, follow me @megyn kelly. shocking new details on the solyndra scandal, the same workers are now about to get some hefty bonus checks from you. we'll update you. and the guilty verdict in the murder trial of former university of virginia lacrosse player george huguely, it happened last night. the prosecution meticulously and methodically constructing the case against george huguely, but did they get a verdict that they are satisfied with? and how long is this young man now really going to spend in prison? that is right after this break. in kelly's court.

@=h ohhh my head, ohhh.

[ speaking in japanese ] yeah, do you have anything for a headache... like excedrin, ohhh, bayer aspirin... ohh, no no no. i'm not having a heart attack, it's my head. no, bayer advanced aspirin, this is made for pain. [ male announcer ] bayer advanced aspirin has microparticles, enters the bloodstream fast, and safely rushes extra strength relief to the sight of your tough pain. feel better? yeah...thanks for the tip! [ male announcer ] for fast powerful pain relief, use bayer advanced aspirin.

and they make my life just perfect. we were having too much fun, we weren't thinking about a will at that time. we were in denial. that's right. [ laughter ] we like our freedoms, but at the same time we have responsibilities to the kids and ourselves. we're the vargos and we created our wills on legalzoom. finally. laughter ] [ shapiro ] we created legalzoom to help you take care of the ones you love. go to legalzoom.com today and complete your will in minutes. at legalzoom.com, we put the law on your side.

megyn: kelly's court is back in session, on the docket today, the emotional ending to the uva lacrosse murder trial. george huguely, reportedly a former shell of himself, guilty of second-degree murder in the beating death of his ex-girlfriend, yeardley love. both were star lacrosse players at the university of virginia at the time she was murdered. before the jury recommended that huguely serve 26 years in prison, they heard from yeardley love's devastated family. her mother, sharon lo, tearfully testifying that her daughter's death was unbearable, saying, quote, every year that goes by i'm afraid i'm forgetting a little piece about her. this is, of course, a tragic case of not one, but two shattered families. the image of huguely's inconsolable young cousin seen here leaving the court will be

seared in the minds of many. did the jury reach the right verdict, and how long is this young man likely to serve in prison? joining me now, kimberly guilfoyle, former prosecutor and co-host of "the five," and joey jackson, now criminal defense attorney. of you see that little girl coming out of the courtroom, and she's related to the defendant. i mean, that's -- she's crying, i'm sure, for him, probably for yeardley love as well. and, you know, it underscores just the wreckage in the case, kimberly. but let me start with you on it. did the jury get it right? >> look, i think that the jury got it right because they were the ones who were evaluating the evidence, megyn. they were in the courtroom. do i personally feel that there was sufficient evidence to argue and make the argument for first-degree, premeditation being formed in an instant? absolutely. but it was a question of fact for them, whether or not they felt that the computer was a value exceeding $200. they came back with a very tough call. they decided they felt there was

malice in the way that she was killed, it was done in such a depraved way. a second-degree is a very serious charge d. megyn: second-degree says there was malice but no premeditation. >> correct. there just wasn't a specific intent. but again, you don't have to say on the calendar today, going over to kill such and such. you can go to a place, and you make that choice, that decision. and we've talked about the evidence where he took the computer to conceal the crime and the stuff that had gone back and forth between them. so there was some measure of thought process there, focus, etc., in terms of the decision making. but he's a young man, and i think the jury wanted to give him a sentence where he could, perhaps, get out at some point. megyn: and i want to talk about the sentence he will likely serve although they recommended 26 years. before we do, joey, the defense had argued full throttle that this was a manslaughter case at best and he should be convicted, of anything, involuntary manslaughter. the prosecution put on evidence

we didn't get to see of yeardley love's beaten face, swollen, brain injury. the more than 26 contusions and abrasions all over her body. they showed the door. we've got videotape of it. the door that george huguely kicked in to get -- this is people bringing it into the courtroom -- to get to her as she was believed to be buttering inside. -- cowering inside. that's what he had to get through. it's tough for a jury to get past that. >> it really is, megyn, and certainly there are no winners here. i think from a defense perspective you can argue they were somewhat successful, and when i say that, here's what i mean. they saved his life. a first-degree murder conviction is devastating. certainly this one is, no question about it. but at least there's a possibility that he'll be out, and i think when we talk about sentencing, we'll get into what he's likely to serve, but they did mitigate because the jury found there wasn't the requisite premeditation. and i think what you often see in these cases are compromise

verdicts. oftentimes jurors have, you know, they have a lot to weigh, they have much to consider and, ultimately, they determine because it has to be unanimous that they're going to go with something that provides some middle ground. and i think second-degree murder provided the middle ground, made them feel good about themselves and convinced them they did the right thing -- megyn: and one of the jurors told abc news they do believe they reached the right result. they were not persuaded about the e-mails that said i should have killed you, but let's talk about the sentence. the jury in virginia recommends 26 years, 25 on the murder count, one year on the grand larceny. but what happens now? what is he likely to actually serve and get? what will the judge do? >> the judge has an opportunity in this particular case to suspend a portion of the sentence, to say maybe i'm going to reduce a certain period of time, but that's sort of like rewarding the defendant before you know how he's going to perform in prison. this judge from the information we have is tough on sentencing. i don't really expect him to budge. i think he will respect the

wishes of the jury. megyn: what do you think, joey? >> i think there is a likelihood that that will happen, but here's what's going to occur. what happens is he gets a presentence report, it cons information about the defendant, about any past criminality, about his family and all of that. so there are guidelines with that presentence report that the judge can follow. there are high-end guidelines -- megyn: how low could a judge go, joey? >> well, you know, the judge could go -- the jury recommended 26, and the guidelines will provide for some median range. the judge could potentially suspend up to seven years of the sentence. understanding this, that the judge can go lower than what the jury recommended but cannot go higher, and in that sense it's a big win, you know, for the defense. again, there are no winners here, but with respect to time -- megyn: yeah. they say the midpoint will probably come out to about 19 years, and if anything, that's where the judge will come in if he gets lower. quickly, kimberly, how much gets shaved off?

>> he'll have to do 80% time. maybe the judge will be persuaded anger management, counseling would have saved this. megyn: coming up, bold newon remarks from president obama raising plenty of eyebrows about his second term. nt down the right insurance at the right price. the "name your price" tool, only from progressive. ready, aim, save! grrr! ooh, i forgot my phone! the "name your price" tool. now available on your phone. get a free quote today.

megyn: watch this. an american base jumper films his own daredevil plunge from a south african cliff when the stunt goes horribly wrong. trace gallagher has more. trace? >> reporter: and base jumper jeff corliss is a very well known daredevil, megyn. he's done great stuff like this. this is this table mountain, south africa. he's jumping out, and you can see he's got nothing but a winged suit on, right? he flies off this thing, he heads off the rocks, and he's heading down toward the ocean going 120 miles per hour.

now, he gets going, he's got several cameras because he's being filmed by a tv documentary, some on his body, others up in the area and there's, of course, aerials flying above him. but he gets so close to the rocks at one point in time that he hits the rocks with his legs, you will see that. it catapults him some 200 feet. you see that there? it's kind of hard. come back, and i'm going to walk you over here, and this is what it looked like on the still photography. you see his body and see how close he is to the rocks? this is right before he actually hits those rocks and bounces off. now, i'm going to show it to you in several different angles, hitting the rocks and flying off. again, 1200 miles per hour. -- 120 miles per hour. he catapults 200 feet, then he's scrambling to get his parachute undone so he can actually land this thing. he broke both of his legs. he's been in the hospital now for five weeks, is expected to fully recover. but here's the thing, if he had hit just a little bit lower on

his body instead of his legs, maybe hitting up on his chest or even his head, the experts say it's very unlikely that he would have survived. jeff corliss on table mountain. the documentary goes on, by the way, and he says when he gets out of the hospital and he recovers, he will do this again. megyn: oh, my god. that is unbelievable. unbelievable. glad to hear he lived. trace, thank you. >> reporter: yeah, okay. megyn: wow. well, president obama is set to address the surge in gas prices and detail exactly what he plans to do. the president's plan to tackle the gas prices coming up, and make no mistake about it, the white house has been watching this very closely. plus, some former solyndra executives are getting bonuses. not former. can this be for real? why are they getting bonuses with your money out of a failed solar panel company? and an unruly passenger picks the wrong flight to make references to osama bin laden. how a brave flight crew and

passengers came to the rescue. [ male announcer ] drinking a smoothie with no vegetable nutrition? ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8.

megyn: two american soldiers are killed. the shooting occurred during a violent protest at a military base in eastern afghanistan. the shooting from all accounts was not an accident. this is not the first time a soldier in the afghan army has turned his gun on an ally. >> reporter: this is not first time an afghan soldier has sea tacked the u.s. or international troops. but this is tied directly to this current crisis in afghanistan. just a few days ago the u.s. military admitted they

inadvertently destroyed the holy book of the islamic world, the koran. today several thousand afghans tried to get into an army base in eastern afghanistan. it was during that riot where they were trying to push into the base that an afghan soldier turned his weapon aifnlt s. troops out of anger. the u.s. military apologized. president obama apologized and other top officials have apologized. but it's not doing anything to calm the tensions in afghanistan. the u.s. military says the reason there was the burning was there were detainees in a jail that was run by the u.s., the detainees were using the koran to pass extremist message and the soldiers thought they should destroy the books.

president karzai asked nato to put those soldiers on trial. president obama delivered a note to president karzai apologizing. tomorrow is a big day in afghanistan. we expect more protests after a holy day of prayer. by all accounts many people expect to be a violent day in afghanistan. megyn: megyn: in iraq 60 people are injured. 225 people were injured. no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks. authorities say they believe al qaeda in iraq is to blame. a fox news alert. we are moments away from president obama's speech on his energy strategy and the timing of this is not coincidental. gas prices hitting record highs for this time of year. he has been attacked by all of

his gop rivals for the prices we are seeing at the pumps. and his approval rating overall might be heading in the right direction for the white house. but with it comes to handle can the rising gas prices it's head dawn ward. ed henry is live with this story from the north lawn. it is no accident as to why the president is giving this speech today. >> reporter: since december alone, the average gallon of gas has soared 31 cents per gallon around the country. this white house knows, the president has got to lay out this strategy. they say he has been on this since day one. a year ago at georgetown university he gave a similar speech. but they are previewing that today's speech won't be much different from the one we heard last year at georgetown. he has been pushing the same things. they say his approach is all of the above.

more renewable energy, more oil production. they say all of that is up yet gas prices are not coming down. his conservative critics are saying he's focused too much on renewable energies. take a listen. >> the reality is the u.s. oil and gas industry the last four or five years as outinvited the renewable industry by far. that increase in innovation and long-reach drilling and hydraulic fracturing, the u.s. is producing record amounts of gas and will increase oil production by 2 million barrels a day. >> reporter: rising gas prices could wipe out that victory he had on the payroll tax extension. the tax cut could be wiped out by a tank of gals. but the president sounding confident. he all but guaranteed

reelection. he says my presidency is not over. i have got another five years. he said he will keep pushing immigration reform. that sounds like a confident president. megyn: the white house has already been vocal in saying it is not to blame for these high gas prices. but is that entirely true? cohost of "the five," fake bolling and bob beckel with join us with their take. approved for employees of the bankrupt solyndra receive bonuses. that's the same company that left taxpayers on the hook after receiving a half billion dollar loan guarantee. a bankruptcy court judge approving the bonuses. but attorneys for solyndra argued these bonuses from

necessary to retain he extension workers. same ones who helped bankrupt the company in the first place. david, you know, i guess the argument is, we need somebody to get this messed up company straightened out. and we have got retain thify we have left that we think are good. >> the good news is the bankruptcy judge reduced the bonuses from $500,000 to $375,000. but there are plenty of people northern california who would take these jobs without the bonuses. we shouldn't be subsidizing alternative energy fuels. it's an awful thing. think about the average person, small business person who can't hardly make payroll. they are not getting these kinds of bonuses paid for by the taxpayer. megyn: you have 21 employees getting taxpayer bonused up to

$500,000. so are these people salaried? are they also collecting a paycheck? >> yes, they are. and several of them before the bankruptcy got substantial salary increases. so -- megyn: why do we need to give them bonuses? >> we shouldn't. the argument the trustees made was we don't want to lose these people, they are vital as we are shut can the company down. megyn: they have salaries. isn't a bonus meant to reward extraordinary work? you get your salary. the paycheck is the thank you. that's what you get. the boss doesn't call you up and say "thank you." your paycheck is the reminder you are doing your job. the bonus is something you gets for doing something above and beyond. something extraordinary. and usually it's something good.

>> that's exactly right. all of the incentives are wrong. in mid-january they were destroying assets of the country, destroying glass tubes which could have been resold. just a nightmare for taxpayers. megyn: the bankruptcy judge ruled we are stuck with this. >> the taxpayers don't get any money first. it first goes to the venture capitalists who provided the company $80 million while the $500 million the taxpayers put in has just been burned through. megyn: that's rich. first the employees who helped get us into this mess will get their bonuses. then the venture capitalists will get paid. david, thank you. what do you think about it? send me an email at kelly at fox

news. a man standing up for his religious beliefs may lose his life over it. a christian pastor in iran sentenced to death for renouncing islam. and he could just have hours to live. the latest on his fate. plus, five more years, that's how long president obama predicts he has left in the white house. that's not the only promise he made today. wait until you hear what he said. an unruly passenger picks a wrong flight to make references to usama bin laden. a brave group of passengers came to the rescue. >> i looked back and there was disturbance, and some men were standing up wrestling with somebody. he would not extinguish his cigarette and became belligerent. police came onboard and arrested him. as you can see, i'm in a tricky situation here.

i'm bidding on a 1979 dukes of hazzard lunchbox. my auction ends in 15 seconds ! even worse, my buddy's bidding on the same lunchbox ! it's airbrushed ! but i've got verizon 4g lte. it's so fast, i can outbid him at the last second. i got it ! yes ! woo hoo ! it's got a thermos ! rely on verizon, america's largest 4g lte network. because only the fastest survive.

megyn: president obama make some interesting remarks on immigration in a radio interview with univision. he was asked if he had broken a promise to get immigration reform passed. take a listen to how he answered. >> i would only have broken my promise if i hadn't tried. but ultimately i'm one man. we live in a democracy. we don't live in a monarchy. i'm not the king, i'm president. so i can only implement those laws that are passed through congress. megyn: sound kind of humble. or does he. listen here. >> my presidency is not over. i have got another five years coming up and we are going to get this done. megyn: five? that might come as a surprise to the guys on that debate stage last night. joining us to discuss it is

simon rosenberg. and rich lowry, the editor of the national review. he's saying those things, and already people are saying, whoa! it's not five more years. it's one more year. five if you are successful. but does this reveal something about the president's own attitude towards his reelection? >> i think it come off as highly resumptuous. i would be surprised if on the you are sitting presidents up for reelection talked that way. i remember jimmy carter saying be patient, i have another five years to get the hostages out of iran. if this reveals his mindset i think he's wrong about that. at the very least you would think would avoid saying it outloud to keep from jinxing it. megyn: has as been criticized

for being too cocky in the office. when they were having the debate about the stimulus package, he said, look, i won. when they were debating healthcare, he said -- i think we have this clip. let's roll it. >> we are running over because we went long on the opening statements. and you are right, there was an imbalance on the opening statements because i'm the president and so i made -- i didn't count my time in terms of dividing it evenly. megyn: now people think he's cocky. is that bad, true, false? >> maybe he has a sense of humor. i think it' important that the president is thinking beyond the next 8 or months. i think wen't d8 or 9 months. if he said i'm out of here at the end of the year he would be criticize for not thinking beyond the next election.

he's thinking there is a 50-50 chance he will get reelected. he has to think about what will happen if he comes back at president the second term. polls are much better than they were. he's up in the real clear politics average. megyn: don't the polls get to be 100% in all 50 states, should he be saying i have got another five years coming up? >> i think it's fair -- we want him to be thinking beyond november. he's the president of the united states. i think i'm heartened to hear he's thinking about this. i deal with the obama folks all the time. this is a humble group of people. it's been a hard couple years for them. but things are much better for him than they were a few months ago and they are feeling good right now. megyn: he talks about immigration. he says to the questioner, i'm only one man, i'm not a king, and there is on so much i can do. he talks about how he does done a lot administratively on

immigration reform. then took another shot at arizona and alabama about their immigration laws. take a listen. >> i think that there is a politics that's we been seeing that is so focused on a negative attitude toward immigration, society at state level in arizona, in alabama, and other states where people have been scoring political points taking the harsh yet anti-immigrant stand, and i think that that's not the kind of politics i believe in. i know that's not the kind of politics the latino community is going respond to. megyn: anti-immigrant stand in arizona and alabama. >> it is offensive on several levels. if president obama wanted to do immigration reform above all else he would have made that the

center piece of this agenda. instead he spent a year creating a new healthcare entitlement. he might have been able to get it through. two, these states, arizona and alabama are serious about enforce our laws in a way this administration isn't. i think all of us can agree this inequality and mobility debate we are having that low-skill workers in this country are having a hard time. the last thing we should want to do is pile more competition down in the labor market which is what we do when we import low-skilled workers from mexico. that is unfair, it's wrong, it should stop and i wish this president had as much commitment to stopping it as the governors do in arizona and alabama. megyn: simon, do you think the left and latino community will be satisfied with his answer that he's not a king. he tried but he can't get just

anything wants through a republican congress? >> i don't think the latino community is going to be satisfied with the answer. however, it is also true. there were 11 republican senators that voted for mccain-kennedy comprehensive immigration reform that when asked to vote for it in 2010 refused. so there were no republicans willing to come to the table with the president to try to pass something that a republican senate and republican president had passed four years earlier. the republican party had moved away from sort of the middle on this issue in those four years. by also want to say something about what rich said. the net migration into the united states from mexico is zero. we have stopped illegal migration into the united states. it's a profound change from where things were when the president came in in 2009 it many impossible to argue his policies were not a major part

of that. deportations are at historic levels. we have seen a huge increase on the border police on the border. we put the national guard down there. crime 0 is down along the border. the president's policies are working. >> if they are work so well, let's do more of it. if you enforce at the workplace, you will have attrition. you will have people actually going back. when we do that and substantially reduce the flow of illegal immigrants here the politics of this issue will change and you will be able to get to form of amnesty. megyn: the remarks are already getting plenty of attention. >> bring us back so we can continue the conversation. megyn: i like his positive thinking. i'm going to say the same thing about my job. i have got another 10 years in the chair. thanks. we are less than 10 minutes away from president obama laying out his plan to deal with the rising gas prices. while his overall approval rating is up, his approval

rating when it comes to dealing with the gas price crisis is heading south. but is that fair? does the white house have a point that it's not to blame for what we are seeing at the pump? you will hear from the president and beblg and bolling. a day after two journalists were killed in egypt, there -- in sya there are reports that the government is specifically targeting journalists there. >> she said she was on a story she had to complete and she would come today. one day too late. >> whatever she did she did with passion and determination. and lived her life that way. when you have tough pain, do you want fast relief? try bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles so it enters the bloodstream fast and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. it's proven to relieve pain

twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. we believe the more you know, the better you trade. so we have ongoing webinars and interactive learning, plus, in-branch seminars at over 500 locations, where our dedicated support teams help you know more so your money can do more. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our teams have the information you want when you need it. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade.

megyn: the deadly crackdown against protesters in syria raings on. there is word the al-assad regime is targeting journalists. this comes a day after marie colvin was killed in homs. she was a foreign correspondent for a quarter century. she spent time in several war zones. she lost her eye covering a battle in sri lanka. her family says they always worried about her safety. >> all this time i was never ready for it. i was just screaming. >> we always felt there was a chance she would get out. she has been in situations 100 times worse than this and she managed to get out.

megyn: dominic di-vatale. >> reporter: . as he was being transported, this we had to say about what happened to them. >> today's date is the 23rod of february, 2012, i was wounded in a rocket attack yesterday, three large wounds to my leg. my colleague marie colvin was killed in the same attack. i'm being looked after by the free syrian army medical staff with the best medical treatment available. i'm a guest, not captured. any assistance that can be given by government agencies would be

welcome and we'll work on the same premise on the ground. >> reporter: the neighborhoods where they were came under further attack today. shells hitting the area. activists say the syrian army is round up and take away anybody over the age of 14. fox news is prevented from reporting from within syria so it's hard to confirm the stories. the focus is on tunisia tomorrow where countries will gather to see what they can do. hillary clinton says they have a three-prong strategy. they will try to provide humanitarian relief. they will increase pressure on the regime to leave and prepare for a democratic transfer of power. the priority is humanitarian

aid. that can only happen if the al-assad regime will let it go ahead. we don't know if they will do that. if it doesn't the talk will start to get very, very serious. megyn: dominic, thank you. fox news alert. we go live to the university of miami where the president has take to the microphones to address the sun as you can see behind him' of american energy. this as we have reached record gas prices in the month of february. record in terms of the history of the united states. they have never been this high. now he is taking incoming from the republican candidates who want his job, from republicans in congress and the american people appear to disapprove by 58% accord together latest associated press poll on what the president is doing on gas prices. the white house says it's not to blame. now the president speaks to his energy policies and this issue

personally. we'll take a listen and get reaction out of this from eric bolling and bob beckel. >> i laid out three areas where we need to focus if we want to build an economy that last and is good for the next generation. all of you. we need new american manufacturing. we have got to have new skill and education for america's workers. and we need new sources of american-made energy. right now we are experiencing just another painful reminder of why developing new energy is so critical to our future. just like last year, gas prices are climbing across the country. this time it's happening even earlier. and when gas prices go up, it hurts everybody. everybody who owns a car, everybody who owns a business.

it means you have got to stretch a paycheck even further. it means you have got to find even more room in a budget that was already really tight. and some folks have no choice but to drive a long way to work. and high gas prices are like a tax straight out of your paycheck. i got a letter last night. i get 10 letters every night that i read out of the 40,000 that are sent to me. and at least two of them said, i'm not sure i'm going to be able to keep my job if gas prices keep going up so high because it's hard to manage the budget, fill up the tank. a lot of folks are going through sometimes as a consequence. now, some politicians, they see this as a political opportunity. i know you are shocked by that. last week the lead story in one newspaper said, gasoline prices

are on the rise and republicans are licking their chops. that's a quote. that was the lead. licking their chops. only in politics do people root for bad news. they greet bad news so enthusiastically. you pay more, they are licking their chops. you can bet that since it's an election year they are already dusting off their 3-point plan for $2 gas. and i'll save you the us spend. step one is to drill and step two is to drill and step three is to keep drilling. we heard the same line in 2007 when i was running for president. we hear the same thing every year. we have heard the same thing for 30 years. but the american people aren't side, they know that's not a

plan. especially since we are already drilling. that's a bumper sticker. it's not a strategy to solve our energy challenge. [applause] that's a strategy to get politicians through an election. you know there are no quick fixes to this problem. we can't just drill our way to lower gas prices. if we are going to take control our energy future and start avoiding these annual gas price spikes that happen every year when the economy starts getting better, world demand starts increasing, turmoil in the middle east or some other parts of the world, if we are going to avoid being at mercy of these world events, we have got to have a sustained all of the above strategy that develops every available source of

american energy. yes, oil and gas, but also wind and solar and nuclear and biofuel and more. [applause] we need to keep developing the technology that allows us to use less gas and oil in our cars and trucks. and our plants and factories. that the only real solution to this challenge. now, it starts with the need for safe, responsible oil production here in america. we are not going to transition out of oil anytime soon. that's why under my administration america is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years. that's why we have a record number of oil rigs operating right now. more working oil and gas rigs than the rest of the world combined. over the last three years my administration has approved dozens of new pipelines

including from canada. and we opened millions of acres for oil and gas exploration. all told we plan to make available more than 75 per of our offshore oil and gas resources. from alaska to the gulf of mexico. last week we announced the next steps towards further energy exploration in the arctic earlier this week we joined mexico in an agreement to make 1.5 million acres in the gulf available or exploration and production which con continues even estimated 172 million barrels of oil. so we are focused on production. that's not the issue. and we'll keep on producing more home-grown energy. but it's not enough. the amount of oil that we drill at home doesn't set the price of gas by itself. the oil market is global.

oil is bought and sold in a world market. and just like last year, the single biggest thing causing the price of oil to spike right now is instability in the middle east. this time around iran. speculative trading on wall street increases, and that drives prices up even more. but those are the biggest short-term factors at work here. over the long term, the biggest reason oil prices will probably keep going up is growing demand in countries like china, india and brazil. i want you to think about this. in five years the number of cars on the road in china more than tripled just in the last five years. nearly 10 million cars were add in china in 2010 alone.

10 million cars in one year in one country. think about how much oil that requires. and as folks in china and india and brazil may aspire to buy a car just like americans do, those numbers are only going to get bigger. so what does that mean for us? it means that anybody who tells you that we can drill our way out of this problem doesn't know what they are talking about or just isn't telling you the truth. [cheers and applause] and young people especially understand this. because, you know, i think it's interesting, when i talk to malia and sasha, you guys have so much more aware than i was con serving our massachusets natural resource and thinking about the planet. the united states con siewms more than 1/5 of the world's oil. just us. we only have 2% of the world's

oil reserves. we consume 20, we have 2. that means we can't just rely on fossil fuels from the last century. we can't just allow ourselves to be held hostage to the ups and downs of the world oil market, we have to keep developing new sorts of energy. we have to develop new technology that helps us use less energy and use energy smarter. we have to rely on american know how and young engineers here focused on energy -- [applause] that our future. that's exactly the path that my administration has been trying to take the last three years and we are taking progress. in 2010 our dependence on foreign oil was under 50% for the first time in over a decade. we were less reliant on foreign oil than we had been.

in 2011 the united states relied less on foreign oil than on any of the last 16 years. that's the good news. and because of the investments we have made, the use of clean, renewable energy in this country has nearly doubled. and thousands of american jobs have been created as a consequence. we are taking every possible action to develop safely a near 100-year supply of natural gas experts think will support 600,000 jobs by the end of the decade. our cooperation with the private sector has positioned this country to be the world's leading manufacturer of high-tech batteries that will power the next generation of american cars that use less oil. maybe don't use any oil at all. after three decades of inaction, we put in place the toughest

fuel economy standards in history for our cars and pickup trucks. and the first standard ever for heavy duty trucks. because we did this our cars will average 55 miles per gallon about it even of the next decade. that's nearly double what they get today. [applause] you guys probably have one of those old beerts. who knows what kinds of mileage you guys get. i can tell you some stories about the cars i had. i bought one for $500. but by the next decade you guys will be buying new cars. hopefully sooner than that. that means you will be able to fill up your car every two weeks instead of every week. something that over time will save the typical family $8,000

at the pump. and it means this country will reduce our oil consumption by 2 million barrels a day. that's not only good for your pocketbook, that's good for the environment. [applause] but we have got to do more. we have to act even faster. we have to keep investing in the development of every available source of american-made energy. this is a question of where our priorities are. this is a choice we face. first all while there are no silver bullets short term when it comes to gas prices, and anybody who says otherwise isn't telling the truth -- i have directed my administration to look for every single area where we can make an impact and help consumers in the months ahead,

from permitting to delivery bottlenecks to what's going on in the oil markets. we'll look at every aspect of gas prices because we know the burden it's putting on consumers. and we'll keep taking as many steps as we can in the coming weeks. that's short term. but on it long term on all of the aabove energy strategy, we have to have the right strategies in place. $4 billion of your tax dollars subsidize the oil industry every year. $4 billion. they don't need a subsidy. they are making near record profits. these are the same oil companies that have been making record profits off the money you spend at the pumps for several years now. how do they deserve another $4 billion from taxpayers in subsidies? it's outrageous.

it's inexcusable. [applause] every politician who has been fighting to keep those subsidies in place should explain to the american people why the oil industry needs more of their money, especially at a time like this. [applause] i said this at state of the union. a century of subsidies to the soil companies is long enough. it's time to end taxpayer giveaways to an industry that has never been more profitable, double down on clean energy industries that have never been more promising. that's what we need to do. [applause] this congress needs to renew the clean energy tax credit that will lead to more jobs and less dependence on foreign oil. the potential of a sustained all of the above energy strategy is

all around us. here in miami, 2008, miami became the first major american city to power its city hall entirely with solar and renewable energy, right here in miami. [applause] the modernization of your power grid so it wastes less energy is one of the largest projects of its kind in the country. on a typical day the wind turbine at the miami-dade museum can meet 10% of the energy needs in a south florida home and the largest wind producer in the country is over at juno beach. at this university your work is helping save millions in energy bills by making their facilities more energy efficient. so a lot of work is already being done in this area. the role of the federal government isn't to take over this work, direct this research. it is to support these

discoveries. it's our job to help outstanding work that's being done in universities and labs and to help businesses get new energy ideas off the ground. because it was public research dollars that over the years helped develop the technology that companies are using to extract all this natural gas out of shale rock. the payoff on these public investments don't always come right away. some technologies don't pan out. some companies will fail. but as long as i'm president i will not walk away from the promise of clean energy. your future is tie important. i will not give up, i will not cede the wind or solar or battery industry to china or germany because some politicians refuse to make the same commitment here in america.

with or without this congress i will continue to do whatever i can to develop every source of american energy so our future isn't controlled by event on the other side of the world. [applause] today we are taking a step that will make it easier for companies to save money by investing in energy solutions that have been proven here at the university of miami. new lighting system. advanced heating and cooling systems that can lower energy bills and make them more competitive. we are launching a program to bring together the best scientists and entrepreneurs to figure out how more cars can be powered by natural gas, a fuel cleaner and cheaper and more abundant than oil. we don't have to import it. we may be exporting it soon. we are make investments in gasoline and jet fuel that's made from a plant-like substance.

algae. you have got a bunch of algae out here, right? if we can figure out how to make energy out of that, we'll be doing all right. believe it or not we could replace up to 17% of the oil we import for transportation with this fuel that we can grow right here in the united states. that means greater energy security, that means lower costs, it means more jobs, it means a stronger economy. another discussion i talked about today is going to be a silver bullet. it won't bring down gas prices tomorrow. if anybody says they have a plan for that -- what, i'm just saying ... [applause] we are not going to overnight

solve the problem of world oil markets. part of problem is when politicians pretend there is then we put off making the tough choices to develop new energy sources and become energy independent. we don't have the luxury of pretending. we have to look at the facts. look at the science and figure out what we need to do. we may not have a silver bullet, but we do have in this country limitless sources of energy, a boundless supply of ingenuity. huge imagination. amazing young people like you, all of which we can put to work to develop this new energy source. the easiest thing in the world to make phoney election-year promised about lower gas prices. it's harder to make a commitment long term to tackle problems. it may not be solved in one term or one decade, but that's the

kind of commitment we need right now. that's what this moment requires. i need all of you to keep at it. i need you guys to work hard, need you to dream big, i need those of you who are a lot smarter than me to figure out how we are going to be able to tap into new energy sources. we have got to summon the spirit of optimism and that willingness to tackle tough problems that led previous generations to meet the challenges of their times. to power a nation from coast to coast and send a man to the moon and connect an entire world with our own science and imagination. that's what america is capable of. that's what this country is about. that history teaches us that whatever our challenges, all of them. whatever we face, we always have the power to solve them. this is going to be one of the major challenges for your

generation. solving is going to take time, it will take effort. it's going to require our brightest scientists and most creative companies, about it will also require all of us as citizens, democrats, republicans, everyone in between, all of us will have to do our part. if we do, the solution is within our reach. and i know we can do it. we have done it before. and when we do we'll remind the world just why it is the united states of america is the greatest country on earth. thank you, everybody. god bless you. god bless america. thank you. megyn: the president speaking to the soaring gas prices we are seeing in this country that are at record levels. and his energy policies in general, having a few shots for the republicans. eric bolling and bob beckel, both are cohosts of "the five." it was like watching an episode

of "the five." >> i love him but he's wrong. >> for once we agree on something. megyn: let many start with how he opened it. steps one, two and three for the republicans is drill, drill, drill. he says there is no silver bullet. >> there is a silver bullet. here is what i heard from that speech. 15-20 minutes of we are using too much energy i can't figure out how to solve the problem and i need four more years. the problem is he has no clue. his energy secretary is lost in space with what is going upon with oil and gasoline prices. it's not about drilling. drilling will help bring some oil in. it's about gasoline it's about refining and blend gasoline. you want one blend, not summer blend, winter blend, oxygen blend, east coast, west coast. you literally have hundreds of blends of gasoline.

pick one. let every refinery in america make the same gasoline. megyn: the summer blends are more environmentally friendly than the winter blends. >> it many all about the environment, i get it. when were paying $4 a gallon relax some of that. pick one standard, one blend, $1. megyn: he seems to be saying it's not about supply, demand, blend. he says it's about what's lapping in the middle east. and that's why you are seeing prices go up globally. >> it was long but it was interesting. the reality is nobody can control what the iranians are doing. you have a civil war in syria. there is a threat of a war in the middle east, and speculators and hedge fund are helping increase the price of this stuff. he has -- he said he increased the number of pipelines in the united states, increased pipelines from canada. you keep harping on this one pipeline. let me ask you a question. megyn: go for it.

>> since you are an expert on this subject and i am not. why is it the united states refineries are putting refined gasolines in tankers and shipping them overseas. >> we import and export gasoline all the time, bob. that's a free market. that's what the free market does. if it's better business to send it overseas, are you going to tell them they can't sell it? megyn: i didn't like that question. i don't understand it. here is what i want to know. i'm running the show. you guys run the show in a couple hours. here is my question. speculation. o'reilly has been rail being this. the president talked about it. what they are suggesting is people are going out and game the market. they see what's happening in iran. they think the price of oil will shoot up even higher. they bet against it and that drivers the price up of oil >> and down. megyn: is that not a fair accusation? are they to blame?

>> it's not fair. o'reilly, you are a brilliant guy but speculation is not the problem. speculators brought the price of oil from $147 to $33 a barrel when george bush lifted the moratorium. speculators push prices up and down. here is the thing ... >> they droifort up last year and "forbes" magazine says hedge fund have bought heavily into oil futures and speculators are driving oil up. >> there has to be an economic basis to speculate prices are going to go up. what that is is perceived tightness in the oil market. there is no perceived tightness in the natural gas market. >> the chinese just lowered their interest rates so we can do more business. that's the reason more oil is

going out. megyn: his approval numbers. 58 disapproval how he's handling the gas crisis but overall numbers going up. this is a big deal for the white house politically. >> from the presidential standpoint it's not unemployment that determines a president being reelected. it's disposable income. the number i fear is $4 a gallon. that takes a lot of disposable income out of people's pockets. i don't think -- 8% unemployment is terrible, but it's not going to beat him. $4 a gallon of gasoline even one of these republicans can beat him. megyn: he's making the case he's not to blame >> the republicans set him up and continue to say it's his fault. megyn: they will blame him anyway? you are telling me the voters are going to hold it against barack obama? >> i think they will take it out on the siting president, yes. but i don't think it will get to

$4 a gallon. >> when he took oifts was $1.83, now it's $3.61. the difference in price in disposable income to americans is $230 billion a year. disposable income coming out of the economy and shipping it overseas to foreign oil sheiks. megyn: i want to get this point in. why are we subsidizing the oil companies. >> pull it it's $5 billion. but also pull the $25 billion in green energy subsidies. fine. i'm all for that. >> you don't think we need alternative energy? >> but the private sector is the one that has to do it. megyn: we need alternative energy but politically how does that sell? barack obama talks about how we have less oil in our cars and trucks and how that's work. i get emails from viewers when

he says that. he says get out of my gas tanks. >> eventually dinosaurs are going to run out. there is only so much oil in the ground. it doesn't come to market fast enough or efficiently enough. so that's a problem. gas and food, those are two things that will drive a presidential economic problem for obama. i think both will be under control by the even of the year. >> pull the subjects does on the green energy stuff. put that money into developing a battery that can hold a charge that can take 200 or 300 -- megyn: there he goes. chevy volt. >> maybe you have something. maybe start using fewer -- megyn: that was twice, eric's chevy volt that was given to him about it company so he could love it. see if you two hours right here.

we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] this is lois.

the day starts with arthritis pain... a load of new listings... and two pills. after a morning of walk-ups, it's back to more pain, back to more pills. the evening showings bring more pain and more pills. sealing the deal... when, hang on... her doctor recommended aleve. it can relieve pain all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is lois... who chose two aleve and fewer pills for a day free of pain. [ female announcer ] and try aleve for relief from tough headaches.